Hero
by thexvaliantxgirl
Summary: Ian escapes from prison, bent on getting revenge by tearing Ben's life apart like Ben had done to him. He targets his most vulnerable spot: Abigail.  Ben/Abigail. Story will get dark.
1. Chapter 1

**Hero**

**A/N:**** There are so many fanfics out there that focus on a 'tortured' Riley, that I thought it might be interesting to put someone else in that sort of position. And I think it would be very interesting for that person to be Abigail…**

**And, this is going to be written primarily third-person limited, from Ben's point of view.**

**I intend for this to be short, but I might expand it if people like it. Really, this is an experiment. A very dark experiment.**

**So, I hope you enjoy…**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own National Treasure. Nor do I own the song Hero by Regina Spektor, used to title this fanfiction.**

_He never ever saw it coming at all…. He never ever saw it coming at all… He never ever saw it coming at all_

_It's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right…_

_-Regina Spektor, Hero_

It came just as any Saturday morning in the Gates-Chase household came. Ben was the early riser this morning, as Abigail had a very long Friday night dealing with a funding crisis as the Nation Archives. Seeing her sleeping so peacefully, Ben couldn't bear to wake her up, and so he decided that he'd take care of breakfast for the morning.

Not being much of a cook, he went out to get some bagels and coffee, picking Riley up along the way. The two of them were seated on the couch in front of the television when Abigail came downstairs, a robe wrapped around her silk negligee.

"Good morning, boys," She chuckled, padding on bare feet into the kitchen to get herself a cinnamon raisin bagel, spreading cream cheese on it as she walked back into the living room.

"Morning, Abigail." Riley garbled, his mouth still full of a chocolate chip bagel.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Ben greeted, in turn, as she sat down beside him. Since they had found the City of Gold, both Ben and Abigail had been making a real effort for one another. He made sure to always listen to her, and found that she had some valuable input that his stubborn pride had never before allowed him to notice. In fact, she was usually right most of the time.

And Abigail had promised to come home every night at a normal time, instead of walking through the door at 1AM. Even just that made such a simple difference.

Like was close to perfect for the two of them. Close to, seeing as Ben had yet to propose to her. That didn't mean he wasn't planning to, he was. He simply hadn't found the perfect time yet.

And now was not the time either, but that time would come soon, Ben was sure of it. For now, he simply put an arm around her shoulders, content to hold her beside him while she munched on her bagel.

The conversation having dissipated, the three of them turned to the television, watching the morning news. The newscaster was droning on about some new financial crisis, and Ben could feel himself almost losing interest. Until…

"In other breaking news, there has been a break in a maximum security prison on the countryside of Virginia. The grounds are now secure, but there has been a report of a missing inmate. A Mr. Ian Howe, convicted of kidnapping, attempted murder, and trespassing on government property, is reported to have escaped, and is armed and dangerous. If you see this man, please contact the authorities immediately."

As Ian's mugshot flashed on the screen, the three treasure hunters could do nothing but stare. Riley's mouth hung open, little flecks of bagel pieces visible, and Ben's hand tightened subconsciously on Abigail's shoulder.

After a long silence, Abigail finally spoke up. "How could he have managed that…?" She said, softly.

"He's a criminal, and he's smart. He busted me out of FBI custody." Ben said, quietly.

Again, another silence followed, with Abigail looking at her lap, and Ben staring directly into the television.

"He's coming here, isn't he?" Riley asked.

"Riley, don't say—" Abigail began, but Ben cut her off.

"Most likely." Ben stated. And another pregnant pause filled the room. "Well, we'll just have to be careful now, won't we? We'll call Sadusky, see if he can make some arrangements for us… An in the meantime, we'll just be careful."

The other two nodded, and Ben repeated himself. "We'll just be careful."

Riley managed to spend the entire day at Ben and Abigail's, doing research about Ian Howe's escape. However, after they had ordered Chinese food, eaten, and watched the Transformers movie (which Ben had hated), Riley knew it was his cue to go home.

"Ben, can you take me home?" He asked, after they had cleaned up their dishes. Since Ben had driven him over, he couldn't leave on his own.

"Yeah, sure," Ben said, absently. But then, he remembered, and he took a glance to Abigail, who was toweling off a plate.

She caught his meaning, without him ever saying a word. "Ben, I'll be fine, I'll turn the security system on." She assured him.

"Alright," Ben gave in, albeit reluctantly. Besides, he knew, if he argued, he'd be chastised for his 'chauvinism.' Abigail was a confusing woman sometimes. He knew she could take care of herself, and most likely, Ian was nowhere nearby.

Riley gathered up his laptop, and the two men were soon headed out the door. Not before Ben took Abigail's face in his hands, to give her a long kiss.

"I'll be fine," She repeated, as he pressed their noses together, looking at her.

"Yeah, I know," He told her, pulling back to walk out the front door, behind Riley. "Turn the alarm on!" He announced.

"Got it, Ben," Abigail told him, waving at her boyfriend as he shut the door. Ben was quite certain she'd be safe.

If he knew what was lurking on the grounds of their home, he would be much less certain. But, he did not, and he blissfully got into his car to drive Riley home, oblivious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hero**

**A/N:**** Guys, I got three reviews! You really don't know how excited I am about them, really. Reviews make my day. Thank you guys so much for taking the time to give me feedback on my story.**

**So, I decided that this story will be longer than I was intending… So this chapter doesn't go where you will expect it to. But, that's what I kind of wanted, anyway. I didn't want anything to happen to fast. I'm having fun with this experiment, and I'm pretty sure I know where I want to take it.**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my three reviewers: Rachel Mantegna, Ellasphere and Serenity rose. Thanks, guys!**

**And this is considerably longer than the last chapter…**

**Disclaimer:**** Still not mine. I'm just playing with them.**

_Hey, open wide, here comes original sin…_

_Hey, open wide, here comes original sin…._

_Hey, open wide, here comes original sin…._

_Regina Spektor, Hero_

As he drove home, Ben could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. Though, he was quick to blame it on overall uneasiness. He wanted nothing more than to protect the people he cared about at all times. And, therefore, leaving Abigail alone at home with Ian on the loose was something he didn't want to do.

Some Jack Johnson song was fluttering from the low radio of his silver SUV, but Ben couldn't hear a strum of the relaxing acoustic. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart in his ears, and the thunder of his pulse resonating through his skull. His nervousness was overtaking him.

He was sure his fingers were clutching with white-knuckled fury at the steering wheel, and that his foot was pressing too heavily on the gas pedal. But, he was so distracted that he wasn't quite sure.

Truthfully, he wasn't certain that Ian would actually go after them. But, what else would he do? From previous experience, Ben knew that Ian was a grudge-oriented man, who was always concerned with getting even. Ben knew he would be blamed for Ian's terrible choices, and his stay in the iron pen. Which, perhaps, in a way, he should be. Still, Ben didn't want him to use the people he cared about to get to him, which Ben had a feeling he would. Ian always liked to hold all the cards.

After what seemed like forever, Ben finally pulled up to the gate, quickly opening it and heading up his driveway. Nothing seemed amiss; the grounds were quiet and peaceful.

Of course, Ben was not aware of the pair of eyes watching him from behind a tree, studying him intensely as he stepped from his SUV and went to the door.

When he opened the door, the security was still on, which was a good sign. His fingers quickly punched four numbers, 1776, before stepping inside.

The figure behind the tree saw this, and he memorized this.

"Abigail!" He called out, "I'm home!"

"I'm in the dining room!" She called out. He was more than relieved to hear her voice, safe and sound.

"Hey, I'm glad you're, o—"

His voice trailed off as he rounded the corner, to step inside the dining room. There was his girlfriend, sitting cross-legged upon the table. She was wearing a deep purple, barley-there, silk nightgown, and her hair was tousled around her face. Her lips were drawn up in a sexy smirk.

"I missed you," She told him.

He gave a deep chuckle. "I can see that…"

Abigail slid off the table, sauntering over to him, standing with their bodies only an inch apart.

"And, I thought you might need something to take your mind off of Ian…" She told him honestly, raising her chin to meet his eyes.

"Ian who?" Ben brushed off the mention of the convict, dipping his head to capture Abigail's lips with his own. As the kiss deepened, her arms entwined around his neck and she pressed herself flush against him. Ben could feel his sense going wild as her curves melded to his body. His hands went to her waist, holding her tight against him.

Soon enough, he had lifted her into his arms, and had carried her clumsily up the stairs to their bedroom. Their passage wasn't graceful, they were running into walls and Ben was fumbling over his own two feet. But his lips were on her neck, and she was laughing, punctuating the laughter with a few well-placed moans. Abigail could not have cared less about the bruises forming on her back as Ben knocked her against the wall, shaking the frames.

She flopped back onto the bed, and Ben climbed up to hover over her. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, laying beneath his with a smile across her face, her blonde hair spilled out across the bed. He could hardly resist her.

And luckily for him, he didn't have to. They made love for as long as they possibly could, before they both were sweating, exhausted masses.

Ben rolled off of her, his heart beating wildly. Now, his pulse fluttered through his whole body, instead of simply in his head. He could hear Abigail's breathing pierce the quiet air, echoing his.

He reached for her, pulling her against him, so that her head was laying on his chest, and she draped an arm across him.

"I love you, Ben," She murmured. He loved hearing that from her, as he knew just how hard it had been for her to say those words the first time.

"I love you, too, Abigail," He told her, with confidence. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, but, by her even breathing, he could tell she was already asleep. And he soon followed her, into a blissful dream.

The couple slept easily, unaware of those prying eyes watching everything through the open curtains.

_xxxxx_

Two weeks had passed since that Saturday morning the three of them had spent sitting in front of the television, staring dumbfounded at the news. For both Abigail and Riley, the shock and scare of the situation had subsided.

Riley had essentially all but forgotten that Ian was running around on the loose. As he had told Ben:

"Come on, Ben, if Ian was going to do something, he would have done it by now, you know… I mean, he's probably hiding out somewhere in Canada by now, where he could be safe."

And the logic did make sense, enough sense so that Riley could give himself excuse to move on. He was a nervous kid, but easily distracted.

And Abigail was simply business oriented, and Ian's return did not fit into her incredible "master schedule", as Ben liked to call it. She didn't have any _time_ to fret over it, it simply was not practical. She even managed to discourage Ben from talking about it when they were home together.

"Don't bring up that Ian nonsense _again_, Ben," Was a terse statement Ben heard from his girlfriend quite often.

But he could not shake the worry. Ben couldn't explain it: it was simply a hunch. Similar to the way he had just known the treasure was real: he knew Ian wanted revenge. At the wish of his friends, he kept quiet. But he couldn't get rid of the nervous pulse pounding in his head.

Aside from his job teaching at the university, he hardly left the house. Ben insisted to Abigail that they needed to remain inside as much as possible: It was safer there.

On a Saturday night, exactly two weeks after the news broadcast, she had enough.

"Ben! We can't just stay holed up in the house! It's ridiculous!"

"Please stop shouting…" Ben gritted his teeth, "You know I only suggest it for our safety… I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you, Abigail."

"Nothing's going to happen. You have to stop worrying about Ian, it's driving me crazy…" At least she wasn't yelling at him any more.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," He told her, honestly, "We can't take the risk, he's dangerous."

There was a silent moment as Abigail glanced at her fingers, as if they were incredibly interesting. She didn't even look away from the slender appendages as she spoke.

"I called your parents."

"What?" No answer, clearly she did not want to repeat herself, "Why?" 

"I told them we'd go to dinner with them."

"Abigail!"

"No, we're going. So get your coat. Everything will be okay. We'll have fun…"

She walked over to where he sat on the couch, and tilted his head up, so that he was looking at her. He could see that this was very important to her, and he felt his resolve slipping. Perhaps they would be okay…

"So?" She asked, with a small smile.

And, his resolve was gone.

"Alright, let's go,"

As she had promised, they did have fun. The four of them spent the meal analyzing different aspects of American history, from Andrew Jackson's presidency, to the impact Robert F. Kennedy would have made were he not assassinated. It was great for Ben to see his parents again, after about a month without doing so. They seemed to be getting along well, seeing as they were back together. They were still in their honeymoon stages… They spent hours in the restaurant, until they began to close up and had to kick them out.

When they stepped out of the bistro, it was pouring rain. Patrick and Emily had parked on the curb, so Ben and Abigail said their good-byes to them under the awning before they dashed to their car.

Their movements were so lithe and quick, rejuvenated by being around each other. Like two little kids in love. Ben noticed a smile on Abigail's face as the sight of it.

"I'll go get the car, just wait here." He promised her, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. After all of the fun, the nervous pounding in his ears was gone. Abigail had been right again, it seemed.

Rather happily, he dashed through the rain, leaving his impeccably dressed girlfriend to wait for him under the awning. She really did look fantastic in that deep purple dress…

He finally made it to the parking garage, and found their SUV. He flipped on the radio, pulling around to the front of the restaurant… But something was wrong… If Ben had paid more attention to the sunken-eyed man sitting in the back of the restaurant, perhaps he would have known…

But, he hadn't. Though, a quick glance to the restaurant's patio solidified his worst fears.

Abigail was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hero**

**A/N:**** Yay! I have more reviews! I encourage you to keep them coming, because I love them. Sorry this update took awhile, I'm majorly busy with school and theatres shows and whatnot… But, here's the third installment! And I desperately hope its in character…**

**I know I said this was mainly from Ben's perspective, but I think I'm going to write a bit from Abigail in the next chapter, because I think it could be interesting. Good idea, or not? Let me know.**

**Anyways, onto chapter three….**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own National Treasure.**

_I'm the hero of this story, don't need to be saved…_

_I'm the hero of this story, don't need to be saved…_

_Hero, Regina Spektor_

The first place Ben could think of going was Riley's house. He wasn't even sure what got him there, with this sheer and utter numbness spreading through his bones. It was almost as if he was on autopilot, heading straight for the only place he could go.

The shock hadn't worn off yet, it was blinding his eyes like unexpected headlights.

Before he even realized it, he was up the stairs of the building and at the door of Riley's apartment, rapping as loudly as he could on the door.

His mind was blurry. And Ben Gates' mind was never blurry, not once. Even in the most stressful of situations, he was always as sharp as a tack, always ready with the next answer.

But now he was shaken, right down to his very core.

His last clear memory was pulling up at the curb to find that Abigail was gone. He hardly remembered that he had leaped out of the car and traipsed up and down the street, calling out her name as if she'd appear from behind a sign or something. He hardly remembered running into the restaurant he had just left, where they were calmly sweeping the floors and questing them frantically.

What he did remember clearly was the resolute shake of their heads. He remembered that she did not appear from behind any sides. He remembered that she was gone.

Vanished. Into thin air.

Though, he did have a pretty good idea of who was responsible.

After what seemed like forever, Riley pulled open the door. The young man looked disheveled. There was still a dreamlike glint in his eyes, as if he thought he was sleepwalking. He was in an old T-shirt and pajama pants, and his hair was hopelessly disheveled.

"Ben, do you realize it's like… midnight?" Riley frowned, clearly not noticing the frantic look on his friend's face.

"Let me in, Riley,"

Like the unparalleled friend he has always been, Riley ushered Ben inside the apartment. It was just the place one would expect Riley to live in. It was bigger now, after they had found the treasures, but still sported his old, lived-in, mismatched décor. Star Wars posters and all, nothing had ever changed.

Once Ben had been seated on his overstuffed couch, and was staring daggers at his lap, Riley ventured to speak.

"What's going on, Ben?"

"Abigail's gone." Ben finally choked out.

The kid didn't miss a beat. "What do you mean _gone_? Not like… dead, right? No she's not—"

He sounded worried, scared to death, even, so Ben had to cut him off. He was too far off base.

"No, she's not. I mean, at least, I don't think she is, but I don't know, It's…" He ran a hand through his hair, breathing a heavy sigh. Abigail had only been gone for a few hours, and Ben felt years older already.

"One minute, she was there, waiting for me. And the next, she was gone. I checked everywhere. The restaurant, the parking garage, all down the street. She wasn't anywhere." Ben went on, "I think its Ian."

"You think he kidnapped her?" Riley frowned, eyes wide.

"What other explanation is there?"

Ben wanted Riley to fight him. He wanted Riley to shower him with alternate situations, more than anything in the world. He wanted to be told he was wrong, this was the only time that Ben Gates ever wanted to be wrong.

But Riley did not argue. His eyes fell to his lap, and he stared at it for a while, as Ben stared at him. He did not fight, because he knew Ben was right.

It made Ben want to slam his fist into a wall.

The man stood up, pacing, as his mind decided to avoid sorrow and jump straight to action.

"I have to find him." There was venom in his eyes: He was poised to kill.

Riley sucked in a breath. He knew it was his job to keep Ben realistic.

"You'll never find him." He said, though he wished he would.

"Then, what am I supposed to do!" He growled, exasperated, still pacing like a madman,, "He could be hurting her and all I can do is stand here _useless_."

"He'll call," Riley piped up, "If he really did kidnap Abigail, he didn't do it just for fun… He wants something from you,"

"What if he calls when it's too late?" There was so much sorrow in Ben's voice. His usually sharp mind was clouded with anxiety and emotion. So much that he was being irrational.

It broke Riley's heart to do the thinking, because he was almost as torn up about this as Ben was. Abigail was like a sometimes-annoying older sister to him.

"He won't. She's his bargaining chip."  
It sickened him to think of Abigail like that.

Ben was silent. Riley was right.

"So what do we do?"

"We wait."

And so they did,. Riley didn't bother to say a word to Ben. He wouldn't answer anyway. He finally managed to doze off for a bit.

Ben spent the ticking hours awake, his head in his hands. He had promised to keep Abigail safe; he had sworn to protect her from anything. And now, she was in the grasp of a violent man… He had promised and he had failed.

He wanted to rush right to her rescue, he wanted to hear her chide him about his protectiveness over her, he wanted to hear her say that she could take care of herself.

After about two hours, he got an idea, and he shook Riley awake.

"Fishsticks, mama, that's what I want…" Riley mumbled, comting to.

"Focus, Riley." Ben frowned, "Do you have one of those programs that can trace phone calls?"

"Uh, yeah… I have something similar on my laptop…" He nodded.

"Go get it, in case Ian calls us." Ben commanded.

Riley retrieved his laptop, explaining the specifics of the program.

"It takes a while. So you'll have to be on the phone with him for quite a bit. That's they only way I can route it through the satellites…."

And hour later, Ben's phone lit up, with Abigail's caller ID and number on the screen. He snatched it, hoping to hear her voice, telling him that something had held her up and that she had taken a cab home.

The gruff British voice he heard instead made his blood run cold.

"Hello, Ben,"

"Where is Abigail? Is she safe? Let me speak to her."

"Too many questions, Ben. I never liked questions. Trust me, they will be answered in time." Ian was taking his sweet time, causing Ben to growl.

"Ian, where _is_ she?"

"You mean your pretty little loudmouthed girlfriend? Oh, she's here with me. We're just having a grand time…. Stupid girl's talking my ear off. But she's fine, not hurt at all…"

Ben seethed at the comment. He could hear a muffled voice in the background, as if someone was trying to tell Ian something. He could bet that the someone was his Abigail.

"Let me talk to her." He demanded.

"I suppose I can allow that." In chuckled, "Abby, there's a call for you,"

Again, Ben seethed. 'Abby' was something that Abigail hated being called, more than anything in the word. She would prefer to be called a bitch before she would hear herself called Abby. The only person that ever got away with it was Ben. _Ever_. It was like his secret privilege. Hearing Ian use it was simply disgusting.

There was more muffled yelling, and the phone was jostled. Finally, Ben heard Abigail's ragged breathing on the other end.

"Abigail?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah, Ben, its me," She sounded incredibly happy to hear from him.

"Are you safe? Abigail, I'm so sorry…" Ben frowned. He hardly knew what to say.

"I'm fine, just please don't worry… I'm going to be okay." It was just like Abigail to be composed and rational in a situation like this, "Just don't do what Ian says, its not worth it, alright?"

"But, you are-" He was cut off by the jostle of the phone, most likely made by a large amount of movement.

"Please, Ben, alright?" Abigail came back on the phone, her breathing was even heavier now, "It's not worth it."

A crack rang out through the phone… If Ben wasn't mistaken, it was the sound of skin striking skin.

Ian had just slapped Abigail.

"What did you do to her?" Ben roared, as he heard the phone move again.

"I'm sorry, Ben, but your girlfriend is a little busy at the moment, she can't talk any more."

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

"Good-bye, Ben. She sends her regards."

The line went dead, and Ben remained staring at the phone, glaring at the cute graphic of a little phone hanging up. Ian had hit her. He had dared to harm Abigail…

He would not survive this, Ben would make sure of it. He would kill him. He would kill him. There was no other choice.

Riley looked up at Ben hesitantly, knowing the conversation had taken a great toll on him. But, he hesitantly spoke up.

"I got their location. We can find them."

The two men locked eyes, and they knew what they had to do.


End file.
